. happy new year to you. some of the top religious news stories of 015. so on behalf of the two of us, we wish you a very happy new year. my top story comes from pope francis. his very first sermon to the whole world goes this way e. in the words of the beautiful st. francis of reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens the arms to embrace us. praise be to you, my lord.

that is the name. and he says the sister, the earth, now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted upon her by irresponsible use and abuse. and it's a call to renew the earth and make that a religious calling. a beautiful wonderful first big deal from pope francis. ron, how about you? >> well, you know, i was going to say another story. when you start with pope francis, let me also add, i think of a quote from dr. martin luther king jr. when he said that religion that is not a concern only for the souls of people, but not for the political, social, economic conditions that strangle the soul. justice, religion. so i think some of our stories with some of the political -- issues of our time. with pope francis along with environ en-- environment

when he came to america. first came to cuba. and he came to america and address washington and the congress. he was also in new york and philadelphia. and i mentioned her because in that speech to the joint session of congress, he mentioned four persons that have influenced us here in this cull treasure, our values and so forth. thomas morton, dorothy days. dr. martin luther king jr. for his emphasis on human rights. he mentioned abraham lincoln. i was impressed with the fact that he had such knowledge of our our country and did his homework like a good jesuit does. along woo terms of the environment, his emphasis on social wrights through these individuals that impacted our world. so i thought that was very, very insightful of him. >> francis, the first jesuit hope. and

st. francis. >> woven your big stories is the pope addresses congress. >> right. >> and did issue that faces our country and faces the world. and he used that plattform to address to congress about the issues that i think interface with all the world around us. i thought that was very impressive. >> what is another story? >> the story i was really going to start off with was the supreme court decision this summer. this past summer. five-4 to legalize loo same sex marriage, and of course, that causes ripples throughout california or some other state that has ever says yes. that seem ed to be resolved with the supreme court saying yes. of course, that gave the right for all who supported the lgbt community for years.

that you may want say gave the legal right and the issue of justice for a lot of people. that doesn't end the story because we no, ma'am denominations and religion. kick regauges are still debating. presbyterian. and physical pay-ins split in half. lutherans made some steps in that direction. ucc. in the 1800s, they were first to ordain african americans, women, and gay lesbians. and so the issue of gay marriage was not an issue for them. we are still struggle -- struggle being that, and of course, more conservative determine nominations have rejected all together. but when it is illegal, it seems to open the door for a lot of people and a lot of joy came as a result. >> that is on my list as well. from a little different stabpoint, because following that, there was kim davis who was a clerk in kentucky, and she had to register the

and she said no, i'm not going to do that because that violates my freedom of religion and conscious that a marriage is only between a man and a woman. this went immediately all the way up to the supreme court. it got there very quickly because the judge in the local town said that is very well, but you are going to jail until we start. and the supreme court with one sentence said no. that is it. you have to enforce the law. and your religious and the law trumps your religious. now she has a dole that reached a compromise. so the associate signed the thing. this goes back to a larger story a year ago with the supreme court with hobby lobby. and they said no, we don not want to pay the medical insurance for our employees when it comes to birth control. and the supreme court 5-4 again said oh, no.

you just -- you don't have to pay that even though you are a private company. privately-owned. you are a legal corporation. you don't have to male hispanic if that violates your religious freedoms and laws. in is an amazing thing. after hobby lobby, congress passed something that says no, you can do that, and it just lead to a big turmoil that is going on about where is? what are the boundaries of your religious rights and what can states say no, you may hold that privately, but if your public sphere, you're going to be upholding the law whether you object to it or not. there's going to be a lot of activity. and a lot of activity in church and state and something that i am interested. and going to continue to share with us his top stories in the religious bay in 2015 in this new year. stay with us. we'll be right back.

gentlemen the reverend here who is sharing with us rather than hosting us. ron, some more of your thoughts. >> sure. i think that a few years ago fell son mandella. twenty-nine years in prison and came out and forgave his captors, and then i think the huge story this year was the person who county jailed those poem in the church in south carolina. charleston, south carolina. of course, the horror of it shocked us all in the church. having a bible study, and the person comes in and kills you eight people. eight people as well as the minister. the other fact is that the very next day, the forgiveness. we forgive you. which is so hard for a lot of us, but it seemed

like they take seriously their faith. father, forgive us for they know not what they do. but on the other hand, he knew what he was doing. so that is even a larger ability to forgive. and i think that forgiveness has really been a mark in our life that year to can we forgive? time magazine says how long can you forgive and do you forgive the killer? so i think that is something we wrestle with. many people feel it's a process. you can't do it overnight. for them to do it, it seemed like overnight was miraculous. and however we feel about that, forgiveness seems to be a critical aspect. >> and it goes back to the gospel story when the disciple -- disciple says how many times must i forgive. as many as 7. you have to forgive seven times.

and jesus responds no, 70 times. and the man went away with total forgiveness. way. was the reason given for that guys shooting. >> did he get one? >> as a result, he didn't ever really say it created a backlash on that flag. it removed that flag. and in the state and many parts. and it started from that. so definite definitely racial issues. he didn't say all of the other motives there, but we saw a glimpse. >> double forgiveness because you are being targeted because of race. >> right. >> and that another thing to forgive. another story, then. >> well, i think connected to that has been the black lives matter

movement. and that has been supported by a lot of congregations, and a lot of denominations and religious communities from the unitar yans to mainland denominations to the evangelical groups have seen the importance that life among black and african americans count. and it doesn't mean that other people's lives don't matter, but because we have been targeted so much in terms of not only the lack of employment, but the violence that we have experienced also, the for many f o us, the police misconduct. we see that so many accidents or it is an accident here. and then the prosecutor says it's justified. that is difficult when a 12-year-old boy is killed or someone is joked -- choked by six police officers. all of this right town the line. so the black lives matter

has had to address that in terms of violence. we don't condemn all police officers you, but the misconduct of those should be, you know, addressed and confronted. and there's always this code of silence among police officers. we have a difficult time. some who will speak out against that and so that is a real concern. okay. another one for us. >> well, i would say the refugees. the refugees from, you know, from all over who are gone from syria, and i think it's amazing that germany has opened their doors to a couple million people. and we nona the -- that was

one of the reasons opening up the doors. the economy of germany. the other ways in which they have been so -- in world war i and ii, they were kind of scene as -- seen as the enemy. they're the ones opening the doors to all these millions of refugees where as we have pull wall -- put walls up and concern. and i understood some of that, but the idea that we are a country of immigrants and which is always opened doors. and i think those who do come from those countries are under great scrutiny more than any other. so i this i refugees are the huge issue. >> the you former enemy teaches us about compassion. >> right. >> we'll be back. we'll take a break. and more religious stories. stay with us.

the top stories of 2015. what else, ron? >> well, i think in religion, we have seen the loss of about 700,000 people leave conventional churches. religions. every year for the last ten years. and so the

fastest-growing number of those who check none. none or done. and they only come back because they don't know what their loyalty of faith will be. so what do you do when you lose that millions of people? what does that say to us and to our religion religious commitment. >> the pie pill shows in california about 50% of people attend worship, and about 50% don't. and you have to wonder if that poll, how many of that 50% are buddhists or muslims, hindus and how many are christians. but you're right. the studies also show that particularly people 18 to 40 very much higher. who is losing people? main line protestants. >> they are becoming sidelined. >> yeah, we are sidelined. and so where that is going to go, i don't know. at that brings up the story i was going

to talk about called the benedict option. and there is ron drier who is a writer and editor, conservative editor of dallas morning news. he went over to the templeton foundation. and he says that he read something that -- by a guy named al administer mcentire. and people with conservative christian religion are simply withdrawing. they are saying the society is in decline. it's not who we are anymore. it's not the america we know, and so they are simply taking what he is calling the benedict option to say okay, society, we're going to do whatever you want. we're going to retreat or pay into yourself. so withdrawing with a society, it's an interesting concept. and we'll see how that goes. what else. >> i think we have to go back

to. and what are we going to do without gun violence? i have friend who is are hunters and friend who is have guns. i have clergy colleagues who have guns. and when you talk about some types of regular registration. we have to do something because the fifth an is -- sandy hook, the kimings have been going on and mass killings. connected with that, the antimuslim. many of these killings have not been by muslims from sandy hook, to the theater to going all the way back to oklahoma. they were not muslims. you know, we have all this anti muslim. this has been mass killings from all kinds of people that should

not have guns. >> and usually or somehow often seem to claim god in the midst of all this. >> right. right. >> but planned parenthood. >> someone just started at the planned parenthood. did it forgod -- for god. and so that's is a real concern. i am just not sure -- we're 5-7 world's population, and we own 40% of the world's guns. what about our nextdoor neighbor in canada? one hundred homicides a year. we have 100 had hads in one city. it just goes on and on. and the death by children because of guns, you know. left in the drawer. careless and don't want to lock them up. that say big concern. >> what elses? >> you know, to switch it a bit.

i think one of the big stories was star wars. i think star wars, of course, a million dollars, a billion -- a billion dollars in one week, and it's still going on. and it's probably going to top the avatar which is the number one # 2.8 billion, but it's the attitude of wanting to connect to something larger than we are. i preached on christmas eve. i said john was trying to connect us to that beginning where we all long for. i think that is what the star wars and the star track and the chronicles of narnia and all of them do so well. the lord. we have something in us that wants to go beyond us. >> hans christian anderson

that every person's life is a fairy tale written by god's finger. and i like that. >> that's good. >> so i think that is what they have tapped into the star wars. all of the creators of that. so if they are leaving the church, they are not left the spiritual belongings and desire to go beyond. >> the star wars saga of touching the force. it's certainly the new church of america. we're talking religion 2015. we'll be right back. stay with us.

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we're running down the top religious stories as we have seen them in 2015. i left one of my stories over there. i wonder if my

two assistants can bring me those stories rather quickly here. before we run out of time. come over here. >> thank you, gentlemen. children we just found on the studio. >> here are eight of my stories as i was getting back to this. and raise to you, oh my lord. this is from the pope to st. francis. one ones we haven't talked about. nuns on the bus win big. this has to do with the women's rewill is you who got into a scrape with the vatican. that was all taken away. our local nuns on the bus win big. kentucky clerk. this goes to the continuing supreme court. a tussle over religion and what rights you have, and has lead to the newest ruling which

said gay lesbian marriages will be recognized everywhere. number four, who goes to church, especially in california. it turns out who doesn't go are mainline protestants and some roman catholics. who does go are conservative christians. also a high incident of muslims, hindus. so diversity in america a. ten dance is still loire. the 21s century exodus which we talked about in t war of sir gentleman. -- syria. when the boat came to take us on to athens, the number of people 18 to have 30 who piled in the hallways and slept on the boats. the 4 million people leaving syria in t ongoing

war, not to mention iraq and afghanistan. christian is about to become a -- this will no longer be a majority christian nation. a few studies say by 2016, it will be a muralty. the gtu we put up because the gtu has come and it is the center in burke letha has so many buddhist studies, darma studies. hindu. any religion in the world is in there talking to one another. the are religions coming together. ron swisher and elizabeth deckdale as ongoing hosts for 2016. we're very proud of that. you may have noted in the

newspaper which assistants brought to me. a story you should follow because a woman wanted to have eighty balance ligation and the hospital said no, we're not going to do that. ron, words to close. we have about a minute and a half. >> quickly then we often say that people are spiritual but not religious. i think the two go hand in hand. religion tells us how to do it. prayer, study, worship, and service. conspiracy channelty tells us why we do it. for god, for christ, for the spirit. i think you cannot have one without the ever. >> there you have it. that is the new year. we're out of time. look forward to hosting in 2016. why don't you go out and go to church. pick one around the corner. your faith we are encouraging here.

>> thanks to all the people that put us on the air and support us. happy new year.

show for you today. we'll tl w a woman introduc happy sunday, everyone. welcome to bay sunday. i'm your host. we have a great show for you today. how a woman introduced horses to the inner city. kids you won't believe what happened there. a new concept of the modern family. an organization helping out our vets. i've got a cop sitting right next to me. he's got a story to tell. it's been 40-plus years. do we know the whole story? our first guest is here to fill in some of the blanks. a san francisco cop turned fbi special agent who was there the day the bureau tookover the white house from the gritty days on the streets to pensacola avenue. his book in pu